Removing Paint From Old Lures

Gentlemen,
I have alot of old wiggle warts I have been prepping for painting. I have taken most of the old paint off by working them down as light as I can with sand paper. I have several spots especially around the eyes and the hook connectors where I just cant get in tight enough with the sandpaper. What do you recommend to get in these tight areas? Any type of solvent I can use to really clean these up good? By the way these are clear plastic baits underneath and I plan to paint them ghost or phantom colors, keeping them as translucent as possible. Thanks for your help!

Scrape as much off as you can with an exacto knife, and then a quick dip in acetone. It will melt the outer layer of plastic, but it won't hurt the lure unless you soak it.
Try not to dip the bill, just the lure body, and don't handle it until it dries, which takes a minute at the most.
Just hang it by the line tie to drip dry.

youd have to be pretty good with an xacto blade to not scrape in to the plastic i would be reluctant to dipping lures. the plastic can get soft from the hard chemicals in acetone or laquer thinner. maybe im just thinking of PVC types, i would just take a Qtip dipped in acetone or LT and swap the needed areas and re-sand it.

youd have to be pretty good with an xacto blade to not scrape in to the plastic i would be reluctant to dipping lures. the plastic can get soft from the hard chemicals in acetone or laquer thinner. maybe im just thinking of PVC types, i would just take a Qtip dipped in acetone or LT and swap the needed areas and re-sand it.

Pizz,I've been doing the scape and dip for years now, and haven't had problems.First, I sand the lure lightly, to break the film of the clear finish and expose the actual lure paint. Then I use the back of the exacto knife blade for the scraping first, at a 90degree angle, so it doesn't dig into the plastic. I find scraping like this is faster than sanding, and doesn't leave the kinds of marks that sanding can.After I've removed as much as I can with the knife, I wet sand the lure with 400 grit. Then I use the point of the exacto knife to pick out any remaining paint from the details, like gill depressions, and around the hook hangers. Once I've done all that, the lure is almost completely clean, but it's kind of opaque from all the scraping and sanding.Holding it by the bill, and dipping it quickly in clean acetone, remelts the plastic so it's clear again, without removing any of the actual structural plastic or weakening it.If it's still kind of milky, I'll dip it a second time, again quickly, and then hang it from the line tie to drip dry, being careful not touch the wet plastic.The plastic lures, if they are made from clear plastic, can be repainted with Createx without primer, since the acetone has epoxed virgin plastic that bonds to the Createx fine.And using a transparent paint, like violet, over the back and shoulders, achieves a clear lure with shading that is dynamite in clear water.

Pizz,I've been doing the scape and dip for years now, and haven't had problems.First, I sand the lure lightly, to break the film of the clear finish and expose the actual lure paint. Then I use the back of the exacto knife blade for the scraping first, at a 90degree angle, so it doesn't dig into the plastic. I find scraping like this is faster than sanding, and doesn't leave the kinds of marks that sanding can.After I've removed as much as I can with the knife, I wet sand the lure with 400 grit. Then I use the point of the exacto knife to pick out any remaining paint from the details, like gill depressions, and around the hook hangers. Once I've done all that, the lure is almost completely clean, but it's kind of opaque from all the scraping and sanding.Holding it by the bill, and dipping it quickly in clean acetone, remelts the plastic so it's clear again, without removing any of the actual structural plastic or weakening it.If it's still kind of milky, I'll dip it a second time, again quickly, and then hang it from the line tie to drip dry, being careful not touch the wet plastic.The plastic lures, if they are made from clear plastic, can be repainted with Createx without primer, since the acetone has epoxed virgin plastic that bonds to the Createx fine.And using a transparent paint, like violet, over the back and shoulders, achieves a clear lure with shading that is dynamite in clear water.

that makes more sense on scraping with the back side of the blade, i may have misread that. i will have to try that and see how it works for me.

I like to use a thin bladed very sharp knife, like a small Swiss Army knife to skin paint off. It's all "touch and technique" but the things to watch are: Don't let the blade chatter across the surface leaving marks that are hard to erase. Don't get down into the plastic shell of the lure, you just want to get the finish. You can actually peel the finish off most lures by inserting a sharp thin blade under the finish and lifting, and that technique preserves most 3D features. But if there is a 3D scale pattern in the plastic, nothing but sanding it off will really work to get a clear bait. Whatever finish is left, I sand off with 400 grit paper. The lure plastic will turn clear again when you hit it with any topcoat, which fills in the minute sanding scratches.

Gentlemen,This is all great information! Thank you so much and keep your techniques coming. I am just venturing into this and am trying to learn and do one step at a time as to not overwhelm myself. I'm still sanding down baits and let me tell you I believe I will be trying the exacto knife thing because this sandpaper thing has wore my fingers out!

Are you mixing anything with the water when using the tumbler? I have a few tumblers and if the steel shot isn't rusty, I might just try that. Great idea and zero work involved! Honey, I want an airbrush for my birthday!

If you're doing a lot of baits, the tumbler sounds like the way to go. You could probably get sst ball bearings to use instead of steel shot, to avoid rust.
I only do one or two, and not on a regular basis.

If you're doing a lot of baits, the tumbler sounds like the way to go. You could probably get sst ball bearings to use instead of steel shot, to avoid rust.I only do one or two, and not on a regular basis.

I was just wondering if it would be abrasive enough to remove the paint.